Sheet metal panel assembly

ABSTRACT

In a sheet metal panel assembly, the panels to be secured together are formed with respective elongated, transversely folded, rectilinear marginal portions. The marginal portions respectively define a rectilinear groove or socket and a complementary tongue which is slid into the socket endwise to provide a rigid joint.

Iliiit Patent i191 Nutt [54] SHEET METAL PANEL ASSEMBLY [75] Inventor:Wallace H. Nutt, Woodstock,

Ontario, Canada [73] Assignee: Teledyne Canada, Limited, Rexdale,

Ontario, Canada [22] Filed: ,lune 20, 1972 [2l] Appl. No.: 264,500

[52] US. Cl. 220/4 F, 220/76, 220/38 [5l] Int. CI B65d 7/00 [58] Fieldof Search 220/4 F, 76, 38; 229/23 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS 1,163,696 l2/l9l5 Silberman 220/4 F 2,259,382 l0/l94l Ingels i220/76 2,681,558 6/1954 Tyska 220/38 [451 Aug. 27, i974 3,0l9,333 1/1962Pascucci 220/4 F FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 180,183 9/l905 Germany220/38 447,470 4/1949 Italy 220/38 Primary Examiner-William I. PriceAssistant Examner-Douglas B. Farrow Attorney, Agent, 0r Firm-Ridout &Maybee [57] ABSTRACT In a sheet metal panel assembly, the panels to besecured together are formed with respective elongated, transverselyfolded, rectilinear marginal portions. The marginal portionsrespectively define a rectilinear groove or socket and a complementarytongue which is slid into the socket endwise to provide a rigid joint.

6 Claims, 5 Drawing .Figures SHEET METAL PANEL ASSEMBLY This inventionrelates to sheet metal assemblies', and more particularly tointerlocking joints for the panels of such assemblies. The invention isespecially applicable to sheet metal box constructions.

It is an object of the invention to provide an interlocking joint forpanel assemblies whereby sheet metal panels may be assembled without theneed for screws, rivets or like fastening means.

According to the invention, the panels to be secured together, which maybe panels of a sheet metal box, are formed with respective elongated,transversely folded, rectilinear marginal portions, one marginal portiondefining a rectilinear polygonal groove or socket and the other marginalportion defining a complementary tongue slidably located in the socket.

In order that the invention may be readily understood, one embodimentthereof as applied to a sheet metal box will now be described, by way ofexample, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: v

FIG. 1 is a general perspective view, partly broken 4 away, of the boxwith its lid open;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of the box with the lid closed;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective' view showing part of a side panel;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an end panel of the box; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional plan on line 5-5 in FIG. 2, the figure showing theinterconnection between one end panel and the respective side panels.

The sheet metal box illustrated in the drawings cornprises a front panel111 and a rear panel 11, a pair of end panels 12, 13, a rectangularbottom panel 14, and a rectangular hinged lid 15. The bottom panel 14 isformed with front and rear downturned flanges 16 which abut against thefront and rear panels 10, 11 and rest on inwardly turned flanges such as17 provided by the latter at their bottom edges. The bottom panel isalso formed with a pair of downturned end flanges 18 which abut againstthe mid-portions of the end panels 12, 13 as shown in FIG. 5. The bottompanel is thus located by side and end panels, which are interlocked inthe following manner.

The front panel provides a flat, rectangular main wall portion 19 and apair of end wall portions 20 folded at right angles to the main wallportion. Each of the end wall portions 2i) provides a flat main area orpanel portion 21 (see FIG. 3) and an elongated, transversely folded,rectilinear or flat portion as hereinafter described. The top edge ofthe front panel is flanged, being provided with a flat horizontal flangeportion 22 and a downwardly turned terminal flange 23. The rear panel 11is of the same construction as the front panel, except that its top edgeis provided with a simple horizontal flange 24.

Each of the said marginal portions is defined by a first flat flange 25folded at an obtuse angle from the flat panel portion 21, and arearwardly directed second flat flange 26 folded at acute angle from thefirst flange. The second flange 26 lies parallel to the flat panelportion 21 and terminates in a free edge 27. It will be noted that theangle subtended between the flanges 25, 26 is an acute angle, theflanges thus defining a tongue.

Each of the end panels 12, 13 provides a main panel area 28 (see FIG. 4)bounded by a pair of elongated,

transversely folded, marginal portions. Each of the said marginalportions is defined by a first flat flange 29 folded at an acute angleto the main panel area, and a second, forwardly directed, flange 30folded at an acute angle to the first flat flange 29. The second flange30 terminates in a hooked flange 31, defining an abutment seat. Theangle subtended between the flanges 29, 30 is an acute angle equal to`the angle subtended by the flanges 25, 26 of the tongue. The flanges 29,30 thus define a rectilinear or polygonal groove, the tongue 21, 25, 26being complementary to the groove. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 5, thetongue is slidably located in the groove so that the respective pairs offirst flanges 25, 29 and the respective pairs of second flanges 26, 30lie in face to face relation, with the free edge 27 of the tongue beingseated against the hooked flange 31. The panels are thus secured innonrotative interlocking relation. It is important to note that thepanels and their marginal portions are relatively rigid, and it isnecessary to assemble the panels by engaging the tongues in the ends ofthe respective grooves, in which they are a sliding fit, and slidingthem longitudinally along the grooves.

The lid 15 comprises a flat rectangular panel formed with shallowflanges 32, 33 along its front and rear edges, and a pair of widerdownwardly turned flanges 34, 35 at its ends. When the lid is :in itsclosed position, as shown in FIG. 2, the flanges 32-35 engage over thefront, rear and end walls of the box with the lid panel seated on thepanel flanges 22 and 24. It will be noted that the end panels 12, 13 ofthe box are trapezoidal, their top edges sloping upwards towards therear top edge of the box opening; the flange 24 is therefore higher thanthe flange 22 and the lid 15 slopes downwardly towards the front whenclosed.

The end flanges 34 and 35 are formed with respective short, elongatedslots 36 and 37 which extend horizontally adjacent to the rear ends ofthese flanges. A pair of bracket arms 38 and 39 are secured, as bywelding or rivets, to the end wall portions 20 of the rear panel 11 ofthe box, adjacent to its rear top edge. rfhese bracket arms are formedwith aligned holes in which pivot pins are fastened, the pivot pinsdefining a horizontal axis rearwardly of the rear panel. Roller bushings40, 41 mounted on the pivot pins engage in the slots 36, 37 to provide asliding hinge for the lid. In order to open the lid from the closedposition shown in FIG. 2, its front edge is raised so as to raise thelid to a vertical position, and is then moved in relation to its hingesto the extent permitted by the length of the slots 36, 37. The rollerbushings 40, 41. thus engage the opposite ends of the slots, as shown inFIG. l, the lid thus being supported in its open position. 1

A particular advantage of the invention is that it permits the assemblyof boxes of different sizes and shapes from a minimum variety ofpreformed, interchangeable parts. The box illustrated in the drawingsmay be of any suitable size, the size being determined by the sizes ofthe front, rear and end panels and, of course, the bottom panel. Thefolded marginal portions of the panels are precision-bent to define thecomplementary tongues and grooves. The mode of assembly, which entailssliding or telescoping the tongues longitudinally into the grooves,results in excellent joints which are quite rigid.

What 1 claim as my invention is:

1. In a sheet metal assembly, first and second interlocking panels, eachpanel providing a main panel area bounded by an elongated, transverselyfolded, rectilinear marginal portion, said marginal portions definingrespectively an elongated flat-sided polygonal groove and acomplementary tongue slidably located in the groove, the groove of thefirst panel being defined by zi first flange folded at an acute angle tothe main panel area and a second reversely directed, flange folded at anacute angle to thefirst flange and lying parallel to the main panelarea, said reversely directed flange terminating in a hooked flangeproviding a seat, and the tongue of the second panel being defined by apanel portion extending at right angles to the main panel area of saidsecond panel and having a first flange folded at an obtuse angle to saidpanel portion and a second, rearwardly directed flange folded at anacute angle to the first flange and lying parallel to said panelportion, said rearwardly directed flange having a free edge, all saidflanges being substantially rigid, said first and second flanges of thegroove lying in face to face relation with the first and second flangesof the tongue, and said free edge bearing on the seat to maintain thepanels in interlocked relationship with said panel portion substantiallycoplanar to the main panel area of said first panel.

2. A sheet metal box comprising interlocking front, rear and end panels,and a bottom panel located by said front, rear and end panels, eachfront and rear panel providing a main wall portion and a pair of endwall portions folded at right angles to the main wall portion, each endwall portion defining a flat area bounded by an elongated, transverselyfolded, rectilinear marginal portion, and each end panel defining a mainpanel area bounded by a pair of elongated, transversely folded,rectilinear marginal portions, the marginal portions of the end panelsdefining polygonal grooves and the marginal portions of said end wallportions defining com plementary tongues slidably located in thegrooves, each of said grooves being defined by a first flange folded atan acute angle to the respective panel area and a second reverselydirected, flange folded at an acute angle to the first flange and lyingparallel to said respective panel area, the second flange terminating ina hooked flange defining a seat, and each of said tongues being definedby a panel portion extending at right angles to the main panel area ofsaid second panel and having a first flange folded at an obtuse angletothe respective panel portion and a second, rearwardly directed, flangefolded at an acute angle to the first flange and lying parallel to therespective panel portion, the second flange terminating in a free edge,all said flanges being substantially rigid, the first and second flangesof each tongue lying in face to face relation with the first and secondflanges of a respective groove with the free edge of the tongue bearingagainst the scat of the groove, said front, rear and end panels therebybeing maintained in interlocked relationship with said panel portionsubstantially coplanar to the main panel area of said first panel.

3. In combination with a sheet metal box as claimed in claim 2, arectangular lid hinged about a horizontal axis rearward of the rearpanel.

4. The combination claimed in claim 3, including a pair of bracket armsmounted on the end wall portions of said rear panel and extendingrearwardly therefrom, and hinge means mounted on the brackets, saidhinge means engaging the lid to define said horizontal axis.

5. The combination claimed in claim 4, wherein the lid is formed with apair of downtumed end flanges engageable over the end walls of the boxin the closed position of the lid, each of said down-turned flangesbeing formed with a horizontal elongated slot adjacent to its rear end,said hinge means comprising first and second roller bushings mounted onthe brackets, said roller bushings engaging in the elongated slots ofthe lid flanges to provide a sliding hinge.

6. The combination claimed in claim 5, wherein each of the end walls isof trapezoidal shape having a top edge sloping downwardly from the rearto the front of the box, and wherein each of the front and rear panelsis of rectangular shape having a top edge formed with an outwardlyturned horizontal flange defining a seat for the lid in its closedposition.

lf l l l l

1. In a sheet metal assembly, first and second interlocking panels, each panel providing a main panel area bounded by an elongated, transversely folded, rectilinear marginal portion, said marginal portions defining respectively an elongated flatsided polygonal groove and a complementary tongue slidably Located in the groove, the groove of the first panel being defined by a first flange folded at an acute angle to the main panel area and a second reversely directed, flange folded at an acute angle to the first flange and lying parallel to the main panel area, said reversely directed flange terminating in a hooked flange providing a seat, and the tongue of the second panel being defined by a panel portion extending at right angles to the main panel area of said second panel and having a first flange folded at an obtuse angle to said panel portion and a second, rearwardly directed flange folded at an acute angle to the first flange and lying parallel to said panel portion, said rearwardly directed flange having a free edge, all said flanges being substantially rigid, said first and second flanges of the groove lying in face to face relation with the first and second flanges of the tongue, and said free edge bearing on the seat to maintain the panels in interlocked relationship with said panel portion substantially coplanar to the main panel area of said first panel.
 2. A sheet metal box comprising interlocking front, rear and end panels, and a bottom panel located by said front, rear and end panels, each front and rear panel providing a main wall portion and a pair of end wall portions folded at right angles to the main wall portion, each end wall portion defining a flat area bounded by an elongated, transversely folded, rectilinear marginal portion, and each end panel defining a main panel area bounded by a pair of elongated, transversely folded, rectilinear marginal portions, the marginal portions of the end panels defining polygonal grooves and the marginal portions of said end wall portions defining complementary tongues slidably located in the grooves, each of said grooves being defined by a first flange folded at an acute angle to the respective panel area and a second reversely directed, flange folded at an acute angle to the first flange and lying parallel to said respective panel area, the second flange terminating in a hooked flange defining a seat, and each of said tongues being defined by a panel portion extending at right angles to the main panel area of said second panel and having a first flange folded at an obtuse angle to the respective panel portion and a second, rearwardly directed, flange folded at an acute angle to the first flange and lying parallel to the respective panel portion, the second flange terminating in a free edge, all said flanges being substantially rigid, the first and second flanges of each tongue lying in face to face relation with the first and second flanges of a respective groove with the free edge of the tongue bearing against the seat of the groove, said front, rear and end panels thereby being maintained in interlocked relationship with said panel portion substantially coplanar to the main panel area of said first panel.
 3. In combination with a sheet metal box as claimed in claim 2, a rectangular lid hinged about a horizontal axis rearward of the rear panel.
 4. The combination claimed in claim 3, including a pair of bracket arms mounted on the end wall portions of said rear panel and extending rearwardly therefrom, and hinge means mounted on the brackets, said hinge means engaging the lid to define said horizontal axis.
 5. The combination claimed in claim 4, wherein the lid is formed with a pair of downturned end flanges engageable over the end walls of the box in the closed position of the lid, each of said down-turned flanges being formed with a horizontal elongated slot adjacent to its rear end, said hinge means comprising first and second roller bushings mounted on the brackets, said roller bushings engaging in the elongated slots of the lid flanges to provide a sliding hinge.
 6. The combination claimed in claim 5, wherein each of the end walls is of trapezoidal shape having a top edge sloping downwardly from the rear to the front of the box, and wherein each of the front and rear panels is of rectangular shape hAving a top edge formed with an outwardly turned horizontal flange defining a seat for the lid in its closed position. 